The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-01-29
4 DUEL WITH RIFLES
The Killing of Yellow Hand
l''' by Buffalo Bill
nur TROUBLESOME TIMES OF rs
-..v Related by an Eyewitness
= ths Event-Finished with a
scaIping Knife
qHE TROUBLESOME TIMES oF

o,rbo Killing of Yellow Hand by But
go BiI was the prettiest duel l ever
l'.O NV life. D." said an array officer to
.anorter for the Herald, land have
an great many fights Of all sorts
mi von about itP Well, let me see, d
"a actiyelv continued the officer as be
.toc ked his beard and settled himself in
nc chair. Il was stationed at Fort
Toramie. In 1876, think in the month
n Iulv, we received a courier telegram
that Young Sitting Bull had left the
Red Cloud agency, or Fort Robinson
which was seventy miles from US, with
eoo warriors. The Indians were trouble
some at that time. as you probably
rscollect. The Custer massacre occurr' q
sbortlv after, although we dlonT
boor of it for weeks after it had oc-
cured. If my journal was at mana l
could give you the days and dates LOT
ooUUerVt6ing. However, the courier con-
,.oTed The information that young SIt
80 BuU had left to join old Sitting
mi who was supposed to be some
l,bora awav I'D in Montana Territory.
" 'at once started out to intercept
,,oung BnlI and his bucks. Next day
~; 80 Tsacbeti Running Water and the
foi,owing day pushed on to Rawhide
Erosk That night a scout came IN with
~ -enort that Yellew Hand, chief of
~ rEavennes. had also left the agency
nth about 800 warriors. Several com
naDies we're detaChe to intercept him,
md made Their way to Hat Gre Elk
at the base of the Black Hills. Moving
nm Indian creek, we came upon a pla-
loan There we're clouds OF Indians
owev ahead in the dim distance. One
nj oIr officers predicted that we would
en he killed. There were five
companies of infantry and one
Of cavalry in our oetachment.
Among us there was considerable
anxiety as TO the outcome OF the battle.
The cavalry, Fifth CaValry,) made a
detour and came around ahead OF the
train in line OF battle, while the mule
whackers were ordered in the wagons of
the train. All this took time and the
Indians drew nearer. The Indians
finally stopped. From one end of their
hosts rode out in front of the
line a maguihcently equipped and
very gaudily decorated Inuian, in
fuI war bonnet trailing behind
looking the ideal warrior. 1t
was Yellow Hand, the Cheyenne
chief. He. proudly and fearlessly sat
his steed, Deliberately, after he stopped
his horse, the Indian chieftain raised
his repeating rife and fred into our
line. By this time Buffalo Bill, who
was government scout at that time,
had started out from our lines and rode
ObiiqueIy out and along our front to-
wards Yellow Hand, with his rife to
his shoulder I'll the time. Tramps and
Indians watched. with the deepest in
terast the outcome of the fight, for it
meant a duel to the death. Yellow
Hand began shooting rapidly, Buffalo
Bill fired with more deliOeratiOn. The
two men began circling around and
drawing nearer, all the time moving
rapidly and firing their repeating rifles.
l think Yellow Hand fired about twenty
shots and Buffalo Bill about ten in all.
When within about $50 yards OF
one another Buffalo Bill caught
lim-0Yer went The horse and Yellow
through the thighs. Buff
talo Bill dismounted, took Yellow
Hand scalp and war bonnet and came
back 10 the lines. Yes, the one shot |
penetrated the chiefs upper legs and !
the horses body. Was he dead when |
Buffalo Bill reached him? You re too !
| think the bullet severed |
an artery in his legs. Well, if you
must know, it was the scalping knife |
which finished The Cheyenne chief.
After the duel was over the Cheyennes
hastily turned and started back, scatter
ing their provisions on the way, and |
Tor miles on the return to the agency |
We followed them by the trail Of -four. |
Troops You know. move more slowly |
.ha1 The active warriors. The little |
creek which was the scene of the fight |
is IN wyoming. 1t was then called In
dian Creek. Now the little stream is
SHOWN by the name of War Bonnet
Greek. '-Omah4 Herald